Sam Thompson was born in Belfast and was educated locally. He worked as a painter in the shipyards and wrote documentary scripts on the shipyards for the BBC. His first play Over the Bridge, though accepted for performance in 1957, was not staged until 1960 in Belfast and Dublin because of fear of a hostile response. In 1963 The Evangelist was staged in the Opera House, Belfast, with Ray McNally in the leading role, and Cemented with Love was performed on television a year after his death.

Born:	1916
Died:	1965